Ladyfish
Ladyfish, also known as tenpounder, is a species native to North America's coastal waters, characterized by its silver sides, blue-gray back, and yellowish belly. These fish typically measure just over three feet in length and weigh between two to five pounds, although some can reach up to 15 pounds. The name "tenpounder" refers more to their vigorous fighting ability when hooked rather than their actual weight. Ladyfish thrive in shallow marine and brackish waters, often found where freshwater meets saltwater, but they can also enter freshwater habitats. As carnivores, they primarily feed on other fish and large crustaceans, with younger individuals consuming aquatic insects and smaller prey. Spawning occurs offshore during winter months, where females can release millions of eggs that are fertilized by males. The larvae, known as leptocephali, have a distinctive transparent appearance that resembles eels. Ladyfish are not considered a threatened species and typically have a lifespan of around six years, though they face predation from larger fish, waterfowl, and other wildlife.
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Ladyfish
The ladyfish is native to the waters of North America. Its other name, tenpounder, does not come so much from its weight, since it may weigh less than 10 pounds. It may more likely receive this name from the way it fights when it is caught, as if it were a fish which weighed 10 pounds (4 1/2 kilograms).
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Elopiformes
Family: Elopidae
Genus: Elops
Species: Saurus
A ladyfish has silver sides with a blue-gray back and yellowish belly. Its long, slender, rounded body has small scales and measures a little over three feet (just under one meter). This fish averages two to five pounds (around one to two kilograms). Some have reportedly weighed up to 15 pounds (seven kilograms). The other common name, tenpounder, refers not so much to their weight as to the fact that when they are hooked, they fight and leap like a fish weighing 10 pounds (4 1/2 kilograms).
The common places to find ladyfish are shallow marine (saltwater) and brackish waters. Brackish water is that which is salty, but less salty than true marine water, and it is usually found where freshwater flows into saltwater. Ladyfish occasionally enter freshwater also.
Ladyfish are carnivores, or meat-eaters, who eat other fish and large crustaceans. When they are younger, they eat aquatic insects, small fish, and small crustaceans. They are nocturnal surface feeders, which means they are active mostly at night and feed near the surface where smaller fish and crustaceans are plentiful.
Even though they live in shallow waters, adult ladyfish spawn far offshore in the winter months. Each female releases and scatters large numbers of eggs numbering in the many thousands or even millions. Males then fertilize the eggs. After the eggs hatch, the young begin drifting and swimming toward shallow coastal waters. Except for their forked tails, the newly hatched ladyfish do not look like fish, but they look more like eels or eel larvae. The young ladyfish have long, slender, transparent, or clear, bodies in the shape of willow leaves or pieces of ribbon. In their larval stage of life they are called leptocephali, and each one is called a leptocephalus. Young eels are also called by this name. The leptocephali metamorphose, or change, over a period of time.
Large fish, waterfowl, alligators, and turles prey on ladyfish. It is believed that ladyfish live around six years. They are not a threatened species.
Bibliography
Bester, Cathleen. “Elops Saurus – Discover Fishes.” Florida Museum, 28 Dec. 2023, www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/elops-saurus. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Hitchcock, Kristin. “Ladyfish.” A-Z Animals, 26 Sept. 2022, a-z-animals.com/animals/ladyfish. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.